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Chirac attacks

Ukraine over nuclear safety

MOSCOW: French President Jacques Chirac urged a nuclear summit on Saturday to censure Ukraine for continuing inadequate safety at Chernobyl, site of the world's worst nuclear accident a decade ago.

Chirac told leaders from seven other nations, including Russia and the United States, that other potentially dangerous reactors in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union should be closed down if they could not be modernised.

"The safety culture (at Chernobyl)...remains inadequate," said Chirac, who is co-chairing the summit with Russian President Boris Yeltsin. His remarks were made available to reporters.

"That is why it is useful to send a clear message on this subject, on the occasion of this summit," he said.

Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma was due to attend the Saturday afternoon summit session to discuss Chernobyl. Kiev admitted recently that officials at Chernobyl had covered up the extent of another nuclear accident last November.

"We must consider closing down nuclear reactors which cannot be sufficiently modernised," Chirac said.-Reuter